Potential suitors hoping to land Zach LaVine in free agency may want to start considering other options with less than a week to go before the negotiation period opens on June 30.
According to David Kaplan of ESPN 1000, the Bulls have already informed LaVine of their intention to offer him a five-year deal which the two-time All-Star is planning to accept. LaVine, 27, has been with Chicago since arriving from the Timberwolves via trade in June 2017.
The 13th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, LaVine is eligible to sign a five-year extension from the Bulls worth over $210 million, per The Athletic. Should he decide to play elsewhere, he would only be able to agree to a four-year max contract worth an estimated $157 million.
Friday’s report coincides with a June 14 report from Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer stating LaVine’s intention to remain with the franchise despite overtures from other teams looking to add his services. The Blazers, Hawks and Spurs were among the teams previously linked to the 27-year-old.
The 2021–22 season proved to be the most successful of LaVine’s five-year run in Chicago thus far. The dynamic two guard averaged 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.5 assists en route to earning his second consecutive All-Star nod and appearing in the postseason for the first time in his career. LaVine and fellow All-Star DeMar DeRozan guided the Bulls to a 46–36 record and their first playoff berth since the 2016–17 campaign, but were eventually eliminated in five games by the Bucks in the first round.
Two weeks after Chicago fell to Milwaukee, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported LaVine was set to undergo a scope procedure on his left knee to repair an ailment he played with throughout the season. The franchise announced on May 24 that LaVine’s surgery was a success and he is expected to make a full recovery.
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